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ofrm 


JUNKIN 
MEMORIAL 


TABLET 


EXERCISES 


AT- 


THE  UNVEILING 


OF  THK 


Tunkin  Memorial  Tablet, 


AT 


LAFAYETTE  COLLEGE, 


EASTON,  PA., 


Tuesday,  May  24th,  1887 


IN  MEMORIAM  jfe 

optimi  Vtri  3g 

GEORGIIJUNKIN,DDiLD0^ 

HujusCollegliConditorls, 
Praesidis  mdcccxxxii-mdcccxli 
Iterum  mdcccxliv-mdcccxlviii. 

Inter  docrrinam  ac  studia  semperversati, 

VD.M.fidelissimu 

Praedicafoiis  facundissiml, 

ingenio  pr^diti  acerrimo. 

In  verbis  et  in  operibus  suis  potenlis. 

NAT.KALNOV.MDCCXC 

OB.XIII  ante  KAUUN.MDCCaXVIII. 

"  Eugcserve  bone,et  fidelisr 


c 


£r  3/temori]  of  (aeorge  ^unkiu. 


UNVEILING  OF  A   TABLET  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 
LAFAYETTE'S  FIRST  PRESIDENT. 


'Tl  T  4  o'clock  on  Tuesday  afternoon  a  large  number  of  people, 
/^  principally  students,  the  faculty  and  their  families,  and 
*  friends  of  the  college  from  the  city,  assembled  in  the 
chapel  to  witness  the  unveiling  of  a  tablet  to  the  memory  of 
Dr.  George  Junkin,  founder  and  first  President  of  Lafayette. 
The  tablet — a  handsome  polished  brass  one — is  placed  on  the 
west  wall  of  the  chapel,  beside  the  window  nearest  the  northeast 
door.  It  was  covered  with  an  American  flag,  which  was 
removed  during  the  exercises,  and  disclosed  a  remarkably 
attradlive  memorial.  The  tablet  is  3  feet  6  inches  high,  and 
2  feet  8  inches  across.  The  top  is  surmounted  by  a  cross  and 
crown.  The  letters  are  set  in  enamel  ;  about  the  tablet  is  a 
leafy  border  in  black  enamel  and  brass,  and  outside  of  all  is 
a  black  marble  border.     On  it  is  the  inscription,  in  Latin. 

The  giver  did  not  intend  at  first  that  his  identity  should  be 
divulged  so  publicly,  but  in  this  respe6l  he  (Dr.  Charles 
Elliott,  class  of '40)  was  overruled  by  his  colleagues  in  the 
faculty,  and  the  public  exercises  were  decided  upon. 

They  opened  with  prayer  by  President  Knox,  after  which 
the  choir  sang  a  hymn.  Dr.  Elliott  then  arose  and  made  the 
presentation  address,  speaking  as  follows  : 

It  is  with  relu6lance  that  I  make  any  remarks  on  the  present 
occasion.  It  was  my  wish  to  put  up  the  tablet  quietly,  with- 
out notice  to  the  public,  and  without  a  formal  dedication  ;  but 
I  yielded  to  the  opinion  of  some  of  my  colleagues,  who  thought 
a  brief  ceremony ,  accompanied  by  relevant  remarks,  would  be 
appropriate  and  expelled. 


The  tablet  is  a  token  of  afFedlion  to  a  man  whom  I  revered 
and  loved,  and  whose  memory  I  cherish  with  an  undying  devo- 
tion. It  would  not  be  good  taste  to  enter  into  detail  of  the 
acts  of  kindness  which  I  received  from  his  hand.  I  will 
merely  state,  in  general  terms,  that  I  owe  to  him  more  than  I 
do  to  any  other  human  being. 

The  Rev.  George  Junkin,  D.  D. ,  lylv.  D. ,  was  the  founder 
and  first  President  of  this  college.  His  chief  aim  was  to 
establish  an  institution  in  which  young  men  might  assist 
themselves  by  manual  labor  while  acquiring  a  liberal  educa- 
tion to  fit  themselves  for  what  are  called  the  learned  profes- 
sions, especially  for  the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  The  manual 
labor  feature  of  the  college  did  not  continue  many  years.  Its 
foundation  was  laid  in  prayer.  Its  walls  rose  in  prayer.  It 
was  dedicated  with  thanksgiving.  During  the  early  years  of 
its  history  it  was  watched  with  prayer,  with  toil  and  with 
tears.  You  see  what  it  is  at  the  present  day.  If  its  founder 
is  permitted  to  look  down  to-day  from  his  lofty  elevation  and 
to  see  how  his  early  beginnings  have  been  crowned  with  suc- 
cess, we  may,  in  imagination,  hear  him  uttering  the  words  of 
the  "Magnificat :"  "He  that  is  mighty  hath  done  to  me  great 
things  ;  and  holy  is  His  name." 

Doctor  Junkin  was  a  remarkable  man — a  man  highly  gifted 
intelledlually,  and  of  intense  energy  of  chara6ler.  He  pos- 
sessed marked  individuality,  and,  to  a  rare  degree,  the  faculty 
of  impressing  his  charadler  upon  his  pupils.  As  a  teacher, 
he  was  original  and  suggestive.  His  aim  was  not  so  much  to 
impart  instrudlion  as  to  draw  out  what  was  in  a  young  man. 
He  was  in  the  true  sense  an  educator.  His  views  of  what 
constitutes  the  basis  of  a  liberal  education  differed  from  some 
of  those  of  the  present  day.  His  opinion  was  that  the  founda- 
tion of  a  good,  well-rounded,  symmetrical  education  should 
be  laid  in  classics,  mathematics,  mental  and  moral  science — 
not  excluding,  of  course,  what  any  reasonable  man  would 
consider  a  due  proportion  of  natural  science. 

It  is  not  wise  in  any  man  to  decry  any  branch  of  useful 
learning.     Natural  science  has  its  place — and  an  important 


place — in  a  liberal  education.  But,  if  I  mistake  not,  some 
push  its  claims  to  an  undue  extent,  and  to  the  exclusion  of 
other  sciences  better  fitted  to  cultivate  habits  of  refledlion, 
and  the  power  of  abstradl  thinking.  The  brilliant  success  of 
natural  'science,  and  its  contribution  to  the  material  wealth 
and  comfort  of  our  race,  render  the  zeal  of  naturalists  highly 
commendable.  Moreover,  as  a  fa6lor  in  education,  it  culti- 
vates, to  a  greater  degree  than  any  other  branch  of  learning, 
habits  of  observation.  Natural  science,  in  its  exclusive  char- 
adler  as  natural  science^  cultivates  the  senses — mathematics 
and  mental  sciences  the  intelledl. 

I  would  not  make  invidious  comparisons  between  Dr.  Jun- 
kin  and  the  able  and  accomplished  presidents  who  have  suc- 
ceeded him  ;  nor  between  the  professors  of  his  day  and  the 
professors  since.  But  I  will  be  pardoned  for  saying  that  some 
of  Lafayette's  most  celebrated  and  successful  alumni  are  among 
those  who  were  graduated  during  Dr.  Junkin's  presidency.  I 
will  refer  to  the  late  J.  B.  Ramsey,  D.  D. ,  and  the  Hon.  N.  B. 
Smithers,  of  the  first  class ;  to  the  late  Rev.  David  Coulter,  of 
the  class  of  '38  ;  to  the  late  Hon.  W.  A.  Porter,  of  the  class  of 
■39  ;  to  the  late  Rev.  J.  M.  Ivowrie,  D.  D.,  the  Rev.  Thomas 
C.  Porter,  D.  D.,  I^Iv.  D.,  and  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Green,  D.  D., 
IvL.  D. ,  of  my  own  class.  Dr.  Porter  and  Dr.  Green  have  a 
world-wide  fame.  The  former  is  known  as  a  man  of  science, 
not  only  in  this  country,  but  also  in  Europe ;  and  the  whole 
theological  world  acknowledges  the  latter  as  one  of  the  best 
Biblical  scholars  and  critics  of  the  present  day. 

I  could  mention  many  other  illustrious  names,  who  compare 
favorably  with  later  graduates,  who  have  enjoyed  superior  ad- 
vantages. Of  these  later  graduates  some  are  before  me  of 
acknowledged  ability,  rich  culture  and  extensive  learning. 
They  are  living  proofs  that  lyafayette  occupies  no  inferior  posi- 
tion among  the  colleges  of  our  land.  Indeed,  like  the  hill  on 
which  she  stands,  she  occupies  a  proud  elevation  among  them. 
She  needs  only  what  some  of  them  have  in  abundance — money. 
May  she  not  want  it  long. 

She  has  friends  who  have  been  most  liberal  in  their  kindness, 


surely  their  number  is  not  complete.  It  is  a  fact,  almost 
singular,  that  to  the  present  time  our  College  has  not  received 
a  legacy.  From  this  source  as  well  as  from  the  gifts  of  the 
living,  has  she  not  a  right  to  expect  her  great  need  to  be  met  ? 

SONNET. 

A  pupil  consecrates  to  thee,  the  guide 

The  counselor,  and  teacher  of  his  youth. 

This  tablet  of  corroding  brass,  a  small 

Memorial  of  the  love  by  Thee  inspired — 

Inspir'd  by  kind  and  gentle  ministries, 

Whose  mem'ry  blooms,  unfading,  in  his  heart. 

No  brass,  nor  marble,  can  express  Thy  mind, 

Now  gazing  on  the  Light  ineffable. 

All  forms  of  earthen  mould  shall  turn  to  dust : 

The  changeless  monument  is  love,  engrav'n 

By  the  Eternal  Spirit  on  the  soul. 

There  shrin'd  in  love's  own  home,  may'st  Thou  abide. 

Many  were  led  by  thee  to  Him,  whose  name 

Is  Love.     These  are  thy  truest  monument. 

PRESIDENT   KNOX'S   ACCEPTANCE. 

The  Speaker  was  frequently  interrupted  by  applause,  and  his 
sonnet,  which  was  perceived  to  be  original  with  him,  was  re- 
ceived with  many  testimonials  of  appreciation.  President 
Knox  then  accepted  the  memorial  in  behalf  of  the  College,  and 
in  the  course  of  his  remarks  said  many  just  things  which  made 
the  hearts  of  the  friends  and  admirers  of  President  Junkin  swell 
with  pride  and  gratification.     President  Knox  said  : 

In  the  name  of  the  trustees  and  faculty  of  the  college,  I 
accept  this  memorial  tablet  most  thankfully  and  most  grate- 
fully. In  its  bestowment  on  the  college  I  recognize  an  adl  of 
love  and  devotion  almost,  if  not  quite,  filial  on  the  part  of  the 
unnamed  but  well-known  giver ;  a  man  himself  well  beloved, 
whose  affedlionate  remembrance  of  his  early  friend,  teacher 
and  President  in  this  memorial  all  must  regard  as  a  most  beau- 
tiful and  gracious  deed  eminently  congruous,  with  his  own 
charadler.  It  is  a  most  fitting  deed,  done  most  fittingly. 
More  than  this  in  his  presence,  I  dare  not  say  ;  less  I  could 
not  say. 


He  was  wortliy  in  whose  memory  this  tablet  is  here  set 
up.  A  man  of  brains,  of  brawn,  of  heart,  a  man  for 
whom  to  live  was  Christ.  I  knew  him  intimately  and  well 
from  my  earliest  years  to  the  last  day  of  his  earthly  life,  when 
in  a  good  old  age,  having  served  his  generation  by  the  will  of 
God,  he  fell  asleep.  And  Heaven  never  opened  to  receive  a 
man  who  could  testify  more  truthfully,  '  I  have  fought  a  .good 
fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith,'  than 
when  its  doors  were  lifted  up  and  the  spirit  of  George  Junkin 
entered  the  presence  of  the  Saviour  whom  he  loved. 

I^afayette  College,  may  I  not  say,  owes  its  existence  to  him. 
He  came  to  her,  evidently  sent  by  God,  in  the  strength  of  his 
life  and  amidst  manifold  difiiculties  and  discouragements  by 
the  force  of  his  intellect  and  the  devotion  of  his  heart,  he 
made  for  her  an  honorable  name  among  the  colleges  of  the 
land.  From  under  his  moulding  influence  men  went  forth 
from  these  halls,  if  not  in  great  numbers,  with  such  a  stamp 
upon  them  as  insured  their  usefulness,  and  in  unusual  pro- 
portion their  eminence  in  their  respective  professions  and  oc- 
cupations. 

He  was  indeed  a  great  man,  a  mighty  man  of  valor  who 
could  produce  the  results  in  the  formation  of  chara6ler  which 
were  produced  here,  amidst  the  privations  which  Dr.  Junkin 
was  obliged  to  endure  in  his  efforts  to  found  this  institution 
of  learning. 

His  devotion  to  it  down  to  the  last  days  of  his  life  always 
seemed  to  me  second  only  to  the  love  he  bore  to  children  born 
of  his  body.  Lafayette  was  ever  ' '  Lovely  Lafayette  ' '  to  him, 
not  only  because  of  the  exquisite  beauty  of  its  situation — 
this  indeed — but  greatly  more  because  his  services  and 
sacrifices  had  given  her  so  fond  a  place  in  his  heart  of  hearts, 
and  to-day  my  heart  is  strong  in  the  faith  of  the  good  things 
in  store  for  this  college,  blessed  of  heaven  in  all  her  past 
career,  largely  because  of  the  strong  crying  and  prayers  and 
tears  of  this  man,  this  Israel  who  as  a  prince  had  power 
with  God. 

We  do  well  then,  to  perform   this  grateful  service  to-day. 


that  we  enshrine  this  venerated  name  in  monumental  brass, 
while  we  deepen  in  our  hearts  the  sense  of  what  this  college 
and  community  owe  to  this  man,  to  whose  wonderful  person- 
ality, under  God,  this  institution  is  indebted  so  much  for  the 
strong  and  enduring  foundation  on  which  the  later  years 
have  placed  the  splendid  superstructure  in  which  we  rejoice. 
God  be  with  us  and  bless  us  to-day  in  these  a6ls  of  grateful 
memory,  and  especially  we  invoke  His  gracious  benediction 
to  rest  upon  him  whose  heart  devised,  and  whose  hands  have 
now  fulfilled  the  loving  thought  of  his  heart  in  the  erecftion  of 
this  beautiful  memorial  to  the  name  and  worth  of  the  brave. 
God-fearing,  man-loving  George  Junkin,  the  first  President 
of  Ivafayette  College.  May  its  presence  in  this  sacred  place 
inspire  many  generations  of  students  to  follow  him  even  as  he 
followed  Christ. 

MEMORIAL   ADDRESS   BY   DR.  PORTER. 

Rev.  Dr.  T.  C.  Porter  was  then  introduced,  his  portion  of 
the  program  being  of  a  commemorative  order.  He  had  served 
under  the  esteemed  and  revered  Junkin,  and  it  was  his  plea- 
sure to  pay  tribute  to  his  former  instructor  and  friend.  Having 
made  his  salutations,  he  said  : 

' '  The  righteous  shall  be  in  everlasting  remembrance. ' '  So 
wrote  the  psalmist. 

In  order  to  fulfill  this  prophecy,  some  good  angel  must 
have  put  it  into  the  mind  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Elliott, 
my  friend,  colleague  and  oldest  classmate,  to  prepare  and 
present  here  to-day  a  beautiful  bronze  tablet  as  a  memorial  of 
the  revered  Founder  of  our  College,  under  whose  teachings  we 
sat  together  half  a  century  ago. 

It  was  a  right  thing  to  do,  and  it  is  well  done,  as,  I  feel 
assured,  all  who  look  upon  it  will  say  with  one  accord. 

It  was  right,  because  a  college,  like  every  other  social  organ- 
ism, can  only  maintain  a  foothold  in  the  world,  and  exert  a  per- 
manent influence,  as  long  as  it  remains  true  to  the  law  of  its 
own  life.  It  cannot  ignore  or  forget  the  past  without  injury 
or  suicide.     The  commandment,  ' '  Honor  thy  father  and  thy 


mother,  that  thy  days  may  be  long  upon  the  land,  which  the 
Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee,"  was  not  addressed  to  the  indi- 
vidual only,  but  to  Israel  as  a  nation. 

It  was  a  right  thing  to  do,  and  the  right  time  for  doing  it 
has  been  wisely  chosen — not  too  late^  for  a  few  venerable 
alumni,  who  lived  in  personal  contadl  with  the  great  and  good 
man,  whose  name  the  tablet  bears,  and  learned  to  know  and 
admire  him,  still  survive,  but  in  the  course  of  nature  they 
must  soon  pass  away — not  too  early ^  for  lapse  of  years  has 
brought  that  ripeness  of  judgment,  which  confers  special  his- 
toric value  on  their  testimony. 

It  was  a  right  thing  to  do,  and  the  memorial  has  been  put 
up  in  the  right  place.  In  the  Reading  Room,  the  portrait  of 
Dr.  Junkin  appears  with  those  of  other  worthies  whom  we 
delight  to  honor.  But  the  Brainerd  Hall  was  the  actual 
theatre  of  his  labors,  and  recalls  him  most  vividly  to  the  stu- 
dents of  that  by-gone  era.  There  he  gave  instrudlion  in 
mental  and  moral  philosophy ;  there  he  preached  the  power- 
ful sermons,  which  have  left  so  lasting  an  impression,  and 
there  he  offered  up  heartfelt  prayers,  morning  and  evening. 
Since  that  date,  this  large  and  elegant  chapel  has  superseded 
the  old  hall  as  a  place  of  worship,  and  hence  it  seems  the 
most  fitting  home  for  the  memorial  tablet,  and  the  best  spot 
in  it,  is  yonder,  where  it  now  is,  for  there  a  condensed  image 
of  his  life  and  charadler  will  catch  the  eye  of  generation  after 
generation  of  students  as  they  pass  to  and  from  their  daily  de- 
votions, and  challenge  them  to  use  their  linguistic  acquire- 
ments to  get  at  the  meaning  of  the  inscription. 

Another  feature  of  the  occasion  is  highly  suggestive.  You 
will  observe  that  the  tablet  is  covered  by  the  flag  of  our 
country,  with  its  stars  and  stripes.  Now,  Dr.  Junkin  loved 
that  flag  with  a  peculiar  love.  He  was  a  sterling  patriot,  loyal 
to  the  heart's  core.  The  fa6t  that  his  father  fought  with 
lyafayette  in  the  Revolutionary  battle  of  Brandy  wine,  no 
doubt,  made  him  proud  to  have  the  college  bear  the  name  of  the 
illustrious  French  Marquis.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Great 
Civil  War,  when  that  same  flag   was  hauled   down  from  the 


8 

cupola  of  the  Virginia  college,  of  which  he  was  then  president, 
he  at  once  resigned  his  position  and  returned  to  his  native 
State.  Among  the  wounded  and  dying  left  by  both  armies 
on  the  field  of  Gettysburg,  he  was  recognized  as  adlively  busy 
in  the  ministry  of  help  to  friend  and  foe. 

For  this  memorial  tablet,  so  happily  conceived,  so  admira- 
bly executed,  so  fittingly  placed  and  so  generously  given,  we 
are  indebted  to  one  who  modestly  styles  himself  an  '  'alumnus, ' ' 
hiding  thus  his  light  under  a  bushel.  But  it  cannot  stay  hid- 
den. He  will  surely  be  counted  among  that  seledl  party,  who 
"do  good  by  stealth  and  blush  to  find  it  fame." 

In  conclusion,  I  remark  that,  if  his  modesty  had  allowed  him 
to  give  his  classmates  of  '40  an  opportunity  to  share  in  the 
achievement,  there  would  have  been  a  cordial  response,  and 
then  the  last  line  of  the  legend  would  have  read :  ' '  Hoc  aes 
posueru7tt  ahcmni^^^  instead  of  ''^Hoc  aes posuit  alumnus ^ 

Following  these  remarks,  which  were  interrupted  at  times 
by  applause,  the  benedi6lion  was  pronounced  by  President 
Knox,  and  the  audience  dispersed. 


I  i  .1 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILUNOIS-URBANA 


3  0112  002472634 


